Are Gender Roles Forced Upon Us - 1435 Words

Are Gender Roles Forced Upon Us? In American culture in the 1950s, men were the predominant head of the household and women were expected to cook, care for their kids, and clean. This is an excellent example of gender roles, and how they control certain aspects of life. Gender roles are, according to multiple sources, the way people behave, what they do or say to express being a female or male. (â€Å"Gender Identity†; Blackstone; Understanding Gender) They are forced upon an individual from the day they are born even in the most trivial of terms of putting baby boys in blue clothes and baby girls in pink. Throughout that person’s life from then on, they will face cultural expectations every day to act according to their sex. Gender roles can often be confusing and hurtful,many stores are moving away from assigning products to a specific gender, but not only can gender roles affect a person’s behavior, it can play a huge role in transgenderism. Many people confus e the definition of gender and sex. â€Å"Gender, on the other hand, refers to the meanings, values, and characteristics that people ascribe to different sexes. Sex is a biological concept, determined on the basis of individual s primary sex characteristics.† (Blackstone) Society gives social cues on the appropriate behavior for each sex. For example, women are to exert more feminine traits such as being dependent, emotional, passive, innocent, nurturing, and/or self-critical. On the contrary, men should be moreShow MoreRelatedAre Gender Roles Forced Upon Us?1482 Words   |  6 PagesAre Gender Roles Forced Upon Us? Remember the 50s in America, how men were the predominant head of the household and women were expected to cook, watch their kids, and clean? This is an excellent example of gender roles, and how they control some aspects of life. Gender roles according to multiple sources are, the way people behave, what they do and say, to express being a female or male. (â€Å"Gender Identity†, Blackstone, Gender Spectrum). They are forced upon an individual from the day thatRead MoreReligion, Religion And Religion Essay1690 Words   |  7 PagesIn Western society, religion plays a vital role in maintaining traditionalism. For instance, growing up as a Christian, I was taught that God loves everyone and forgives us of our sins, but he also condemns homosexuality and gives the consequence for such a lifestyle. Leviticus 20:13 mentions that â€Å"If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood {shall be} upon them†. Basically, I believe that the BibleRead MoreEssay A Western Identity Crisis739 Words   |  3 Pagesimmigrants and is known for its population from a wide array of cultural backgrounds. Living in a westernized society that is so diverse, we are forced to choose an identity for ourselves at one point or another in our lives. Some choose to identify by their outer qualities, while others may identify by their inner qualities. One may identify by their looks, gender, sexuality, political views, or their beliefs. Some may have an identity that is dynamic and ever changing depending on the events faced inRead Moregender socialization992 Words   |  4 Pages Gender: Forced Upon American Society Growing up, many Americans childhood consisted of playing tag outside, having cooties, and experimenting with as many toys as possible. Hundreds of thousands of toys flood kid stores such as Toys R Us, Baby Depot, and KB toys. With imagination, kids are able to become doctors, presidents, and princesses during the contents of one day. Television shows such as Barney or Blues Clues encourage having such imagination, thus inspiring kids to want to becomeRead MoreFreedom, A Birth-Given Entitlement Or A Manmade Privilege?1717 Words   |  7 Pagesneither is the appropriate answer. Freedom is defined by the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint; everyday women are silenced for speaking out or are frowned upon for being independent by not submitting to the heavy-weight of the set standards placed upon their shoulders. Over the centuries, the proposal of women having any rights remained a constant battle that appeared to not have any pre-dest ined ending. In the intervening time that Charlotte PerkinsRead More The Impact of Social Idealogy on Virginia Woolfs To The Lighthouse1179 Words   |  5 Pages This can cause certain groups within a text to be empowered while the other groups are marginalised and constrained by the social restrictions placed upon them by the ideology. In the novel To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, Woolf shows us an awareness of gender politics during the 1920 ¹s Britain by subverting the traditional gender roles but at the same time naturalises notions of class causing certain groups to be constrained.    In the novel Woolf subverts the patriarchial portrayalRead MoreGender, Gender And Sex Are Completely Different Entities919 Words   |  4 PagesContrary to popular belief, gender and sex are completely different entities. Many people live their lives believing the gender and sex are tied to each other. This belief has brought specific gender roles into fruition. In western societies like that of the United States, this diversion can be examined in the nurseries of hospitals. Upon birth, babies do not necessarily have facial feature that define their but female babies are swaddled in pink blankets and males in blue. While many individualsRead MoreTaking a Look at Gender Bias703 Words   |  3 Pagesfashion upon something that is common as well as a true observation, but I do not believe each human being is but a collection of stereotypes. Such as African American and poor, Caucasian and privileged, or Gay and fabulous. I hate to see enforced stereotypes. Meaning those situations within everyday communication or interaction that forces an individual no matter their gender or gender identification to take part in, pressured into, or ridiculed for not participating in so called â€Å"gender norms†Read MoreSocial Construction Theory And Gender Roles1179 Words   |  5 Pagesargues that gender roles, behaviours, and differences are not the natural consequence of minor biological differences, but are instead the result of historical, economic, and cultural forces which have pushed women into social and economic roles and men into others. It sees biology as providing the raw materials, and sees social institutions, culture, history and individual agency as what shape those raw materials into human beings who also happen to be gendered as men, women, and other genders† ( KlementRead MorePersonal Narrative: My Experience with Gender Roles Essay642 Words   |  3 PagesPersonal Narrative: My E xperience with Gender Roles A secret agent. A professional football player. A fire fighter. These would have been my responses when asked that inevitable question, What do you want to be when you grow up? Family, Media and Peers are said to have influenced my views concerning the role I am to play society. All of these factors had one thing in common. They all were influencing me to behave according to my gender. Everything from the clothes I wore to the toys I

Polygamy and Children Free Essays

Imagine a young girl of twelve marrying a man of forty whom she has never seen before and being forced to produce children until her body is physically unable to perform a safe pregnancy. Imagine the girl being brainwashed and beaten for contradicting with a belief held by another man and forced to stay in her community for her entire life without knowing anything of the outside world. This scary world exists not just in imagination, but in the form of marriage known as polygamy. We will write a custom essay sample on Polygamy and Children or any similar topic only for you Order Now Found in almost every country, including the United States but prevalently in Islamic socitey, the practice is considered a right to a select few and a bane to the majority of others. Polygamy is a way of life that should not be allowed in society due to the fact that it creates male-dominated marriages, forces women into subordinate roles, and produces unworkable families full of strife, abuse and incest. Polygamy is a form of marriage in which a person has more than one spouse at a time; it most often occurs in the form of polygyny, when a man has multiple wives. Although the practice has been illegal in the United States for over one hundred years, it is estimated that over 30,000 citizens are involved in plural marriages. Although marriage is considered to be the mutual forming of a bond between a couple, in many polygamous marriages women are forced into the role of wife. They have no choice but to become subservient to their husband. From an early age they are taught of male dominance and are brainwashed by their culture and religion to refuse to the polygamy practice. Practice of polygamy in religion Polygamy is a very ancient practice found in many human societies. The Bible did not condemn polygamy. To the contrary, the Old Testament and Rabbinic writings frequently attest to the legality of polygamy. King Solomon is said to have had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Also, king David is said to have had many wives and concubines. The Old Testament does have some injunctions on how to distribute the property of a man among his sons from different wives. The only restriction on polygamy is a prohibit on taking a wife’s sister as a rival wife. Jews continued to practice polygamy until the sixteenth century. Oriental Jews regularly practiced polygamy until they arrived in Israel where it is forbidden under civil law. The Quran, contrary to the Bible, limited the maximum number of wives to four under the strict condition of treating the wives equally and justly. It should not be understood that the Quran is exhorting the believers to practice polygamy, or that polygamy is considered as an ideal. In other words, the Quran has â€Å"tolerated† or â€Å"allowed† polygamy, and no more, but why? Why is polygamy permissible ? The answer is simple: there are places and times in which there are compelling social and moral reasons for polygamy. As Quranic verse indicates, the issue of polygamy in Islam cannot be understood apart from community obligations towards orphans and widows. Islam as a universal religion suitable for all places and all times could not ignore these compelling obligations. Eventhough that is what Quran said most men practices it due to their success demonstration in their economy and social, us we saw it in Xala movie El hajd didn’t marry his third wife because she was widow or orphan. In most human societies, females outnumber males. In the U. S. there are, at least, eight million more women than men. In a country like Guinea there are 122 females for every 100 males. In Tanzania, there are 95. 1 males per 100 females. What should a society do towards such unbalanced sex ratios? There are various solutions, some might suggest celibacy, others would prefer female infanticide (which does happen in some societies in the world today ! ). Others may think the only outlet is that the society should tolerate all manners of sexual permissiveness: prostitution, sex out of wedlock, homosexuality, etc. For other societies , like most African societies today, the most honorable outlet is to allow polygamous marriage as a culturally accepted and socially respected institution. The point that is often misunderstood in the West is that women in other cultures do not necessarily look at polygamy as a sign of women’s degradation. For example, many young African brides , whether Christians or Muslims or otherwise, would prefer to marry a married man who has already proved himself to be a responsible husband. The problem of the unbalanced sex ratios becomes truly problematic at times of war. Native American Indian tribes used to suffer highly unbalanced sex ratios after wartime losses. Women in these tribes, who in fact enjoyed a fairly high status, accepted polygamy as the best protection against indulgence in indecent activities. European settlers, without offering any other alternative, condemned this Indian polygamy as ‘uncivilised’ After the second world war, there were 7,300,000 more women than men in Germany (3. 3 million of them were widows). There were 100 men aged 20 to 30 for every 167 women in that age group. Many of these women needed a man not only as a companion but also as a provider for the household in a time of unprecedented misery and hardship. The soldiers of the victorious Allied Armies exploited these women’s vulnerability. Many young girls and widows had liaisons with members of the occupying forces. Many American and British soldiers paid for their pleasures in cigarettes, chocolate, and bread. Children were overjoyed at the gifts these strangers brought. A 10 year old boy on hearing of such gifts from other children wished from all his heart for an ‘Englishman’ for his mother so that she need not go hungry any longer. We have to ask our own conscience at this point: What is more dignifying to a woman? An accepted and respected second wife as in the native Indians’ approach, or a virtual prostitute as in the ‘civilised’ Allies approach? It is interesting to note that in an international youth conference held in Munich in 1948 the problem of the highly unbalanced sex ratio in Germany was discussed. When it became clear that no solution could be agreed upon, some participants suggested polygamy. The initial reaction of the gathering was a mixture of shock and disgust. However, after a careful study of the proposal, the participants agreed that it was the only possible solution. Consequently, polygamy was included among the conference final recommendations. Polygamy and its impact on mental and emotional health of women and children Children develop self-esteem and a sense of well-being when they are raised in a nurturing and loving environment. If abandoned by either parent, children may feel unwanted or unloved. When attention and praise are withdrawn, or absent, children often respond by becoming anxious and depresses. we heard many real life story of abused women and children coming rom broken families. I was brought up in a society who are 60% practice polygamy and friend with who are abandoned women and children due to polygamy. Brought up with neglected wives’ and children suffering from emotional abuse and misuse of polygamy, I concluded that Children in polygamous household can experience a greater risk of neglect from their parents when father’s love and support is absent, distorted, or divided unequally. Young children are directly affected by their mothers’ emotions and in polygamous families their rate of depression and anxiety is positively correlated with their mothers’ sense of insecurity and depression. A high number of these children exhibit symptoms of severe depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, self destructive behavior with tendency towards violence. It is emotionally devastating for children when their mothers are abandoned in favor of new wives†. Furthermore, preferential treatment of children according to who is their mother causes a sense of lack of worth for children in polygamous households. Children of the first wife often feel abandoned and unwanted when the father neglects them and their mother, in favor of newer wives and their children. Domestic violence is a serious risk in these households as parents may attack one another or the children of less favored wives, or the children from one mother may attack the children from a different mother. Aside from the actual physical harm experienced by young victims of domestic violence, this abusive environment can seriously affect the victims’ mental development and health. This in turn increases the chance that they become perpetrators of acts of violence. The health of the mother, mentally and physically, also has an effect on the development of the child, as early as in the womb. When a mother feels anxious, this anxiety is transmitted to the child and increases the child’s risk for mental illness. When mothers worry about the stability of the household, children become insecure. This may affect their performance in school or how they interact with family members and other children. In one case, three young sisters supported by Ensan charity center all quit school due to lack of motivation and severe depression. Economically, polygamy makes it even more difficult for a father to provide for all of his children because it becomes more likely that he will have many children. Even fathers who wish to be involved in the lives of all of their children find that they must spend most of their time away from their family in order to provide financial security for their children and wives. When fathers fail to do so, the consequences are dire. Children and mothers experience emotional and financial depravation. In an attempt to find a sense of self-worth, belonging or a father figure, these children are more vulnerable to following people who encourage them to engage in violent behavior. Those children who do not behave aggressively towards others may often turn to drugs or alcohol, experience mental and emotional difficulties, or they may exhibit some kind of behavioral problems. The difficulties of being a supportive, loving father are often noticed by the fathers themselves. One illustration of the difficulties may be found in the International Herald Tribune account of the life of Abdu Hemmed Bekit,, who lives in Qatar with his five wives, 65 children and 82 grandchildren. When interviewed about his large family he says that he regrets not having only one wife. In order to prevent wives from competing with one another, he was forced to build their homes far apart, which made it harder for him to spend time with all of his children. Bekit is so opposed to polygamy that he has forbidden his sons to take more than one wife and has taught all of his daughters to refuse to become second wives. His feelings come not out of shame, but a reality check. He now knows that his wives would become jealous of one another and pick on the weakest ones. On several occasions, he has come across children that he did not realize were his. Feeding, clothing and sheltering so many children have also been large financial challenges for Bekit. However, as a successful businessman of his village, Bekit has been able to provide for his family. But this is often not the case. It is quite common for fathers to abandon their families when they cannot provide for them. Frequently, the eldest sons will drop out of school in order to find jobs to support the family. This in turn makes it more unlikely that he will be able to support his own family when it is time for him to marry. These various difficulties illustrate that the practice of polygamy affects everyone in the family. Polygamy can endanger family, the pillar of the society in the most serious way. If the family structure collapses, the wreckage is felt by all. If a man takes more than one wife, he is commanded to treat them all equally. But, who ensures that all the wives and children are treated equally and justly? Are the men able to recognize their unjust behavior ever? Are those who misuse religion guide-line of polygamy ever able to recognize their unjust behavior? We covered the sad story in Her Three Days and Xala movie, where there any wife or children happy about the third or fourth marriage? Weren’t they very sad? A common theme throughout both Xala and Things Fall Apart is the practice of polygamy. Both texts, examine the effects of polygamous life for both the husband and wives. The ideas of masculinity and femininity within marriage and polygamous society are scrutinized within the novels, giving the reader a broader picture of the cultural dimensions of polygamy. The two texts, varying greatly in style and subject, highlight the differences of both rural vs. urban polygamy and traditional vs. modern polygamy. The marriages of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart represent traditional, rural polygamy, which is an accepted social norm within Ibo society. Okonkwo’s wives live together in what might be called a â€Å"sisterhood† within the family farm. In contrast, El Hadji’s marriages in Xala represent modern, urban polygamy, a practice that is tied to an individual’s religion (Islam) and economic success rather than the society as a whole. Despite the variances of polygamy within the novels, both highlight the effects on the perception of masculinity and femininity within polygamous relationships. Both novels highlight that the number of wives a polygamous man can acquire and support is a direct reflection on his masculinity. With these wives, he is expected to be a caretaker and provider, but constantly assert his dominance, as to not appear weak. Alternatively, the wives of polygamous marriages are encouraged to be passive and complacent, the picture of perfect feminine etiquette. They are supposed to show no jealousy or hatred towards their fellow wives, even as they compete for their husband’s affections. They are to know their status as objects of their husband. To prevent domestic abuse and social disintegrations, each member of the Society must have an interest for the welfare of women and children. The suffering of neglected wives and children should be everyone’s concern. If authorities do not concern themselves with the family welfare, the society becomes weaker, for the status of families has a profound impact on the strength or the weakness of society. Ultimately, when Women and children suffer, society suffers and pays the price as a whole. How to cite Polygamy and Children, Papers

London and Westminster Bridge Essay Example For Students

London and Westminster Bridge Essay William Blake was born in 1757 into a middle class family. His father was working as a hosier but his mother was keen and the one in charge to educate his son well. Religion had a strong influence on Blake. He started reading the bible from an early age and this gave him inspiration in his later life; he apparently had visions of angels when he was young. He had a talent in drawing and had an endless appetite for reading, especially poetry. During his early career he became a professional engraver and rebelled against contemporary painters e. g. Josh Reynolds, Rubens etc. Later on he married an illiterate French woman called Catherine Butcher in 1792 and was later taught how to read and write and to engrave. Blake used to combine both his art and literacy skills when writing poems which helped other people understand the poem or to create a picture in your mind. In 1827 he died and was buried in Bunhill fields in London. Blake is still remembered as the greatest artist Britain has ever produced. William Wordsworth was born in 1770 in Cumberland in the Lake District with both of his parents dying when he was very young. He was then brought up by his uncles and during this time he felt very isolated and worried. However in 1787 he went to St Johns College in Cambridge and in 1790 went to France to support the Republican Movement. Here Wordsworth met and fell in love with Annette Vallon, a French woman, and had a child with her called Caroline in 1792. Unfortunately, Wordsworth had no choice but to return to England because he had little money to support his wife and child and Britains apprehension with France was increasing. When the United Kingdom and France finally went to war with each other it prevented him seeing Caroline and Annette for a couple of years and he was very emotionally depressed. In 1799, Wordsworth moved back to the Lake District with his close friend Robert Sauthey. Four years later he visited his family in France but then he got married to an English woman, Mary Hutchinson. Wordsworth stopped supporting France and the French Revolution because of Napoleons growing power as emperor; as a result he became a Tory. In 1850 he died and was buried in Grasmere. Wordsworth is still remembered by his influential poetry and literature. Through Blakes and Wordswoths poems their ideas and feelings are put across in many ways however I will mention their ideas first. Both poets believed that poems should be written in simple language and that everything described in them are everyday and familiar. The use of this simple language and familiar subject matter was important because poetry should above all communicate clearly to ordinary people e. g. the working class so they would understand however this was heavily criticized because it was breaking the classical poetry rule. Usually during that period long and verbose poems were written and the Working class wouldnt be able to understand. This was a way of showing off and of course to make to poet seem more intelligent. Blake and Wordsworth were middle class and were highly educated so they saw the exploitation and inequality and they highly disliked the idea of taking advantage of the poor. This is why they both agreed with the French Revolution in some point in their lives. They wanted to educate or teach the working class that issues were similar in Britain and in France; mostly concerning evils of exploitation. Blake also believed that marriage only brought wealth and status to middle class families and that the love wasnt real but was abused. In the 18th Century women were treated like toys, they got forced to get married to a person that their father says, even if she doesnt want to. In addition many husbands were unfaithful to their wives with prostitutes, which brought nothing but misery. Furthermore, Blake disliked the authority greatly including the church. He thought they brainwashed peoples minds (e. g. by the ideas fed to them by the government and the church) as well as exploiting the poor in society. He believed that religion and the church imposed false notions of God and this prevented human beings from understanding or realising their own divine nature. Wordsworth was a Pantheist; he believed that God was in everything. He felt pleasure in watching Gods creations. This way Wordsworth felt that he was communicating with him, it was a religious and a spiritual experience. He thought that the sun, river and city were on the same level as him because they are all parts of Gods creations. He had the ability to see the beauty of creation and this is why he was deeply influenced by his love of nature. Dead Poets Society EssayAnother poetic device that is used in the poem is an Iambic tetrameter. This helps give the whole piece rhythm; like a song it make you remember what was said. The Iambic tetrameter is in every stanza except for the 3rd and 4th stanza where the regularity of the rhythm is lost. The limit of this rhythm scheme suggests the limits set upon the people of London. In Westminster Bridge, the mostly used poetical device is personification; the city wears a garment and the river can glideth at his own sweet will. The personification brings Londons features (in this case the river and London as a whole) to life and more human like. This is very effective because ordinary people can understand this because they can relate to whats been said. In this poem an Iambic pentameter is used, this helps underlying rhythm of the piece but is also used but it also makes it close to natural speech. As a result it makes people remember better how wonderful London really is Earth has/ not an/ything/ to show/ more fair. Finally, the last way they convey their ideas into their poems is through imagery. There is a similar technique used to create the desired picture in people minds and this is through constant repetition. In Wordsworths poem the repetition of Never emphasises his depth of feeling and this is also known as the power of three. He has never seen anything more beautiful than London than in the morning and he wants to share his compassion with the rest of the nation. Whereas In London every cry of man, in every infants cry of fear, in every voice, in every ban there is repletion emphasizing the suffering of everyone, everywhere; this aspect adds to the apocalyptic effect. Wordsworth also includes enjambments, which allows words to flow into the next line so it creates a more natural speech and it separates different themes from each other. As well as this a list in a poem lets the poet pack in the information about what he is seeing, ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples, in fewer words as possible. The list also reminds people what man made features are remarkable in London because they might take it for granted and so they should admire what they see around them more. Blake mainly just uses short but powerful words to portray an important point; the last stanza of the poem proves this. Unwanted children from prostitutes, with the unknown father, would be born into horrible conditions from the word go. In addition some prostitutes had sexual transmitted diseases (STDs) and so the babies might have deformities e. g. blindness. It makes the newborn infants tear that much worse because it would not be crying for a little bit of food but in fact the appalling life he or she is going to lead. It curses family life by spreading disease and curses the life of the children who are born as a result of the youthful harlots. The disgrace was that the father of the child would continue his normal relation with his wife and inevitably the disease would spread to her as well resulting in death. Blake didnt agree with the attitude of married men and marriage altogether. This is because instead of a union of two people that are in love its the desire of making families wealthier. It was revolved around money which is morally wrong. In conclusion, there are many techniques and poetical devices that both Blake and Wordsworth use to convey their ideas in their poems. The language used in the poems is simple and powerful, so they stand out and make the important points memorable. Another way of emphasizing the ideas was to use rhyme, repetition, alliteration and personification. These techniques were used in the first place to communicate to the working class so that they would understand in the society they were living in. he contrast of the mood and tone between the poems gives the people the choice to believe whether London was a glorious or depressing and corrupt city to live in. These techniques that are able to express ones thoughts and feelings are still used in now-a-days however even if the topic was about politics or social issues it would be different to that of 200 years ago. In my opinion both Blake and Wordsworth were very successful in conveying their ideas because using repetition, personification and simple language I could tell what poet admired and disliked Londons society and civilisation.